Oh Boy..I hope I have the terms correct. Kenmore fridge model num 363 9550612 has stopped working. In the freezer side underneath all the coils there is a part that behind a shroud. This thing is glowing red hot and no there is no fan/condenser running.

What happened here?

The tag on the unit has the serial numbe rubbed off, I'd say the fridge is approx. 12 years old.

Ok..I found my parts guide for this fridge. It shows that the parts that I see glow is the heater harness for the defroster. Is it supposed to glow this hot? Also, the unit does not run at all and the High Side ASM (?) is warm to the touch.

Sound like you found what those rods are, they are the defrost heaters, good job. They do get very hot in order to quickly defrost the coil and get back to refrigeration mode. I am not sure what the High Side (ASM) is but it sounds like you may be stuck in the defrost cycle. Check for defrost troubleshooting guides on this site.